The Dream of the Rood

The Ruthwell Cross is an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon preaching cross eighteen feet tall. It is remarkable for its runic inscriptions, which contain excerpts from The Dream of the Rood, an Old English poem translated below by Carmen Butcher.

Now I want to tell the best of dreams!
At midnight, when those gifted with speech sleep, I thought I saw the most amazing tree

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Crowds of angels—the beauty of creation—looked on it.
And no way was this a cross of shame,
holy spirits, people everywhere, and the whole of creation
looked on it. That tree of victory was wonderful
and I was not
because I was sin-stained and shame-wounded
I saw the tree of glory

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when it began bleeding on its right side
I was totally overwhelmed
by sorrow and afraid of this vision's beauty.
I saw the quick beacon change its clothes and color,
sometimes wet from sweat,
sometimes drenched with bleeding,
sometimes crusted with treasure.
I lay there a long time, troubled, and looked at

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slashed from my trunk. Powerful enemies seized me
then and there and used me for their executions.
They made me lift up their criminals.
Soldiers carried me on their shoulders
and put me on that hill, (1)
and when many enemies set me up there, then I saw the Lord of all
humanity running bravely towards me
as if he wanted to climb on me.

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And I dared not bow or break or disobey
the word of the Lord
when I saw the earth around me shake
I could have destroyed every enemy,
but I stood fast. The young hero—
almighty God—stripped himself,

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strong of body and will
he mounted the gallows of the cross
to ransom all humanity.
Many saw his courage.
I trembled when this warrior embraced me,
but I dared not bow down
nor fall to the ground.
I had to stand fast. I was raised up as a
rood. I lifted up the great King, (2)

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the Lord of heaven. I dared not bend.
They pierced me with dark nails,
and the treacherous blows left scars on me
plain to see, and yet I dared not harm anyone.
They smeared both of us with their lies.
I was absolutely drenched
by the blood that gushed from the man's side
when he had given up the ghost.

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All creation wept. The King's death was mourned.
Christ was on the cross.
And yet his friends hurried
to the Prince from far away. I saw it all.
I was stricken with sorrow,
brought low, yet I bent to the hands of those men,
obedient.

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They got almighty God and raised him
off the painful crucifixion.
The warriors left me standing there
covered in blood.
I was injured all over with arrows.
They laid the limb-weary one there,
stood at the head of his body, and looked
at heaven's Lord, and he rested there a spell,

65 exhausted after that great fight. (3)
The warriors then began
to dig a grave for him in sight of his murderer.
They carved it out of bright stone and put the Lord of victories in it.
Then they began to sing a song of grief, for
they were miserable that evening and exhausted,
and so they left the excellent Prince.
He rested there with a small company. (4)

70 But we stood there a long time, weeping, (5)
after the voice of the warriors left.
The corpse, that beautiful temple of life, grew cold.
Then men began to chop us all down.
That was an awful ending!

85 That's why I'm mighty now and raised on high
and can heal anyone who respects me.
Before, I was the harshest punishment and most hated,
before I revealed the way of Life and Truth
to those gifted with speech.

115 Those there will be afraid and
cannot begin to think how to answer Christ.
But no one has to be fearful if
they bear in their breast the sign of the cross,
for every soul who wants to live with the Ruler

125 My soul was encouraged for the journey to come.
It had endured many longings.
Now the joy of my life is seeking
the tree of victory, alone, more regularly than others
and honoring it well. I desire this

130 above all things, and my protection
is directed to the cross.
I don't have many powerful friends on earth
because they have already left the joys of this world
and gone to the King of glory, and now they live in heaven
with the Father on high and

140 where the Lord's people are sitting and feasting and
happiness is everlasting,
and the cross will make me a home there in glory,
where I can truly enjoy heaven's pleasures with
all the saints. May the Lord be a friend to me.

145 He's the one who suffered here on earth
on the gallows tree for the sins of all people.
He set us free and gave us abundant life
and a heavenly home. Joy was resurrected
with wonder and happiness for those who had
suffered there in that burning.

150 The Son was triumphant on that mission, (8)
mighty and quick, he rescued that great company of souls,
and the almighty Ruler came with them to God's kingdom,
delighting angels and the holy ones already

(1) For background information on the crucifixion of Christ, see the Gospel accounts at Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19. This hill is called Golgotha or Calvary.
(2) Rood comes from the Old English word, rod, for 'rod' or 'pole.' Rod also referred to 'a measure of land' and to 'the cross on which Christ was crucified.'
(3) Exhausted here is a litotes for 'dead.'(4) "With a small company" is a litotes meaning 'alone.' Company denotes the Anglo-Saxon 'comitatus.' See also footnote (7).
(5) The cross of Christ is referring here to himself and to the two other crosses on Golgotha, for the thieves crucified with Jesus.
(6) Sake here is literally 'name.'
(7) Another example of a litotes, "With a small company" means 'alone.' See footnote (4).
(8) Mission refers here to the Harrowing of Hell, a popular Medieval topos depicting Christ as the warrior leader who rescues all those condemned to hell in the long stretch of time after the Fall and before Christ's resurrection. The Harrowing of Hell was said to have taken place between Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.